MOVIE REVIEW: Frat boys vs family in 'Neighbors'

Friday

May 9, 2014 at 7:00 AM

"Neighbors" was inspired by a real-life incident when a frat house wreaked havoc on an otherwise peaceful neighborhood, and pretty much give you what you expect in the way of bawdy humor and gross-out jokes. It has no reason to work as well as it does, yet you can't stop watching.

By Al AlexanderFor The Patriot Ledger

After punctually delivering Jonah Hill and Russell Brand to the Greek, director Nicholas Stoller delightfully attempts to rid Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne of an even rowdier band of greeks in “Neighbors,” his bratty-fratty reminder that real estate can be “a fickle b–-h.” It also can be pretty funny, especially if you’re on the outside looking in at the warfare waged between childish parents and the loud, obnoxious frat boys who just moved in next door. Inspired by a real-life incident similar to what Milton residents experienced a few years back when a frat wreaked havoc on an otherwise peaceful neighborhood, debut writers Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O’Brien pretty much give you what you expect in the way of bawdy humor and gross-out jokes.

But there’s also an effective bit of underlying melancholy in which first-time parents are consumed by envy (as well as anger) as they observe the constant, carefree partying going on day and night outside their bedroom window.

That was themselves barely a decade ago.

And in the noodges, the virile greeks see the boring, confining domesticity that lies in wait for them soon after graduation. It’s kind of poignant, but the film doesn’t go as deep with it as the superior “Knocked Up.” In fact, a colleague rightly suggested that “Neighbors” is very much a half-hearted sequel to that 2007 Rogen gem in which a devout partier terrifyingly faced the prospects of commitment and fatherhood. Even before the arrival of the collegiants, led by a never-better Zac Efron (he’s just might become an actor yet), Rogen’s Mac and Byrne’s Kelly are finding it difficult to indulge their sexual desires because their adorable baby always seems to be watching. But that proves trivial after they’ve had an entire fraternity house (and guests) follow their every thrust while peering in through an unguarded window.

Yes, “Neighbors” is that kind of movie. But that nasty bit of voyeurism is nothing compared to the use of sex toys as a running joke, albeit one I admit pays off big in the film’s wild, exhilarating (excuse the pun) climax. The homemade “toys,” built from molds formed by the frat boys’ genitals, also serve as a clever metaphor for how much size matters when you’re young. You want to have the biggest everything, in this case a”rager” so enormous it will make frat party history. It’s what everything in the film nicely builds toward, as the war of words and deeds rapidly escalates after Mac breaks a shaky truce by calling the cops and getting the house put on probation.

Before Mac makes that faux pas, the movie is on to something fresh and involving when Mac and Kelly adopt the strategy of keeping their enemies close by befriending them. It leads to some of the best bits, with the “old folks” clumsily trying to talk hip, while flashing a big, fat joint as a peace offering. It’s an instantly identifiable moment for any person who’s attempted to communicate with young people and suddenly felt very old. And there are more of those epiphanies along the way.

There are also a bevy of terrific performances by an outstanding cast that includes Dave (brother of James) Franco, Jerrod Carmichael and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Efron’s fellow frat brothers, and Lisa Kudrow as an amusingly clueless college dean who cares more about molding good headlines instead of good students. It’s Ike Barinholtz, though, as Mac and Kelly’s dimwitted partner in crime, Jimmy, who delivers the film’s funniest line. It concerns rape, but the fact that it draws a laugh is indicative of how well-crafted the film’s dialogue is – for the most part.

It’s basically an episodic off-campus “Hangover” mixed with a generous helping of “Animal House.” And it has no reason to work as well as it does, yet you can’t stop watching. And one of the main reasons is Efron, who really comes into his own as Teddy Sanders, a hunky hot-head who always feels he has something to prove. Efron does wonders in rooting out Teddy’s multiple insecurities, including his need to be the tops at everything. But his best scene comes near the end when he and Rogen go shirtless in front of an Abercrombie & Fitch store. I will say no more, other than it’s hilarious. But it also has nothing to do with the story, making it feel random and tacked on. Yet it’s perfectly in keeping with the loosey-goosey nature of the entire enterprise. It’s also an indication that after “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek,” Stoller is one of Hollywood’s finest comedic directors. He may not yet know how to tell a coherent story, but he sure knows how to make you laugh. And that’s not a bad neighborhood to reside in.

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